Jason Howard Green

Sunday, August 12, 2012

R.I.P. Sherman Hemsley

I loved Sherman Hemsley.I know my fascination with The Jeffersons was not something that was
limited to my house alone.Black folks
(and white folks) around the country tuned in every week to see George and
Weezy living the high life in their deluxe apartment in the sky.The show spanned an entire decade, airing
originally in 1975 and lasting an almost unprecedented ten seasons to
1985.

I loved all of the predominately black cast shows that were
playing at the time, including Good Times, What’s Happening, That’s My
Mama.Each show was amazing to me for
different reasons.However, The
Jeffersons was the only show that showed an African-American family that was
wealthy financially.Looking back,
George Jefferson may metaphorically have been our Barack Obama.Though a fictional character, he was that man
that showed many young Black kids that with ambition, determination and hard
work you really can be anything that you want to be in this country.Because of The Jeffersons, we realized that
the kids in my neighborhood couldaim
for more than pimp, pusher and NBA player.

I also loved the show for the many controversial issues it
introduced to the black community.We
were forced to think about interracial relationships, transgender issues, and gender roles just to name a few.In the course of their ten years they were
never afraid to bring non-traditional issues to the forefront, making folks
think about the status quo and question its validity.

Upon viewing the final episode of The Jeffersons, I thought
my time being entertained (and educated) by Sherman Hemsley was over.And then came his television show Amen.As a kid that grew up in the church, this was
a show that I immediately connected with.Deacon Frye was an unconventional churchman.He loved his church and he loved his family;
but although a deacon he was not a man that wanted to spend all of his time (or
all of his money) on his congregation.Again Sherman Hemsley was ahead of his time.This pre-Tyler Perry sitcom was the first
time America got such a frequent peek into the situations, lives, and rituals
of the Black church.

On July 24 we lost Sherman Hemsley.Initially it was said he died of Superior
Vena Cava Syndrome.Now it has been
revealed that Lung Cancer was the reason for his death.Whatever the reason I am saddened by this
loss.

I have recently seen many blogs and articles questioning whether
Sherman Hemsley was a member of the same-gender loving community.Was Sherman Hemsley gay?Now that he’s gone we will never really know.
When Nell Carter died she willed custody of her children to her lesbian lover.When we lost Sally Ride, her company
acknowledgedthat she was survived by
her partner of 27 years.For these
individuals, their homosexuality was confirmed upon their demise.For Sherman Hemsley there are no children to
tell the story of his personal life.There is no surviving partner to speak of his final days.Sherman Hemsley’s private life will remain exactly
that, private.

I personally would love to claim Hemsley as a member of our
community.He was an unparalleled talent
that has left a legacy a phenomenal work for us to enjoy.I understand the power of the closet.If we knew that George Jefferson was being
played by an out gay black man, would his show have been as successful as it
was for ten years?If we knew Sherman
was homosexual would Hollywood have ever allowed him to play a deacon in Black
church on Amen?The closet may have been
one of the greatest tools Hemsley used in sustaining his career.But just like the number of licks it takes to
get to the center of the tootsie pop, the world may never really know the
answer to this mystery.What I do know
for certain is that he made me laugh and I will never forget him.

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Just Me . . .

About Me

Black and gay. Geek and Greek (Phi Beta Sigma). Spirtual but not judgemental. Optimist but a realist. Writer and activist. I am the author of The ABCs of Coming Out. Also I am the founder of UGIMA (United Gay Informed Men of African-descent).